Saint Nicholas Day in Verbier, Switzerland Dec 5, 2022

We"re used to Santa Claus sliding down chimneys, but who knew he could ski? Thousands of Santa Clauses make a stunning downhill display to open the ski season in Verbier, Switzerland, each year. Why the costumes? Their annual descent also celebrates the feast day of Saint Nicholas, observed in Europe on December 5 and in the US on December 6.

© Denis Balibouse/Reuters

palette

Today in History

Dec 5, 2018’Chess on ice’
Dec 5, 2019A growing business
Dec 5, 2020A cozy winter village
Dec 5, 2021Salzburg, Austria
Dec 5, 2023Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
Dec 5, 2024Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 21, 2024Yosemite National Park, California
Nov 17, 2021Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Jul 6, 2018Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
Jun 14, 2019A perfect day to fly your flag
Jun 26, 2020Beautiful baobabs
Aug 10, 2021Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
Jun 14, 2021A Flag Day tradition
Sep 3, 2018Construction workers resting above Manhattan
Oct 4, 2019World Space Week begins
Feb 15, 2023Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana
Sep 28, 2021The snows of Fuji
Mar 12, 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Center-Val de Loire, France
Feb 28, 2019Over and under the delta
Nov 1, 2022Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico
May 14, 2022Windmills in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands
Nov 14, 2020Decorating for Diwali
Sep 18, 2018A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Mar 9, 2025Daylight saving time begins
Nov 24, 2022Happy Thanksgiving!
Sep 13, 2019The moon rises for Mid-Autumn Festival
Oct 4, 2022World Space Week
Feb 26, 2024Grand Canyon National Park turns 105
Aug 7, 2021Salt of the earth
Dec 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Sep 25, 2023Sea Otter Awareness Week
Oct 7, 2020The circular castle of Cornwall
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain
Sep 8, 2019Just a couple of yellow-billed hornbills
Jun 2, 2019An island for the birds
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland